Versatile display hook system

ABSTRACT

A mounting device for a display hangar which is used to hang display pouches etc. from the hangar generally used in commercial displays. The hangar portion comprises an elongated protruding rod which extends from a flat base to permit the threading of plastic pouches having suitable hanging holes provided therein. On the opposite side of the base of the hangar is a clip which mounts on a plastic rail. The rail comprises a base and an integrally formed upstanding wall on which the hangar is “hooked”. The inside surface of the upstanding wall is provided with a cushion strip of an elastomeric material which extends the entire length of the rail. The cushion strip is located near the top of the inside surface of the wall of the rail. When the hangar is mounted on the rail strip, the “clip” is pushed downwardly to deform the elastomeric strip until the clip is in its “home” position. The elastomeric material expands to lock the clip and hangar on the mounting rail.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to display hangars of the type that are used to hang envelopes or pouches carrying merchandise to be displayed on racks. Hitherto most display systems utilize a backboard having holes located at specific locations into which wire hangars are inserted. The wire hangar generally has two protruding hooks to protrude into and lock into holes provided in the backboard.

The display hook then has a definitely defined location depending on where the holes have been punched in the backboard (“peg board”). Once the holes in the board have been made, there is no way to change the spacing between the hooks because it has been predetermined by the hole spacing in the peg board.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Because of the widespread use of the peg board-hook display system, it has been difficult to introduce competing display systems which are superior to the hook-peg board display system which has been so widely accepted. The reasons why the hook-peg board has become so widely accepted are obvious; the hook-peg board system is robust, inexpensive and once the hooks have been inserted in the mounting holes of the peg board it is practically impossible to displace them. The hooks are subsequently “loaded” with merchandise and the display becomes more stable than when the hooks were “unloaded”. Gravity plays an important part of the operational success of these prior art systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention seeks to provide a display system which is preferably composed of a non-metallic rail in which a non-metallic hook is mounted.

Because the rail is fabricated from a non-metallic substance, it is usually constructed to be of an extruded material, usually a poly vinyl plastic and the hooks mounted on the rail are envisioned as being of a plastic nature as well.

The mounting rail is of an extruded shape and in this instance is of a general “U” shaped cross section, having elongated upstanding legs of the “U” shaped cross section which may or may not be of equal length. Because the mounting rail is extruded, the length is indeterminant and the leg of the “U” shaped rail which is mounted on a base wall may be of any desired configuration to facilitate the fastening of the rail on the wall to which it is to be mounted.

The rail on which a display hook is to be fastened is usually mounted in a horizontal orientation on a base in any suitable manner so that the legs (in this instance, two) of the rail open upwardly and form an open trough between them. The strip may be mounted on the backing wall by any desirable means as long as the trough opening formed by the two walls of the rail opens upwardly.

The inside surface of the upstanding wall of the rail strip remote from the mounting surface is provided with an elongated foam cushion in the form of a strip which is formed in situ on the inside of the outwardly protruding wall of the rail strip and is formed during the extruding operation of the mounting rail. The mounting rail is mounted on any suitable mounting surface such as a wall or shelf front and may be extruded to any desired length.

Once the plastic rail has been mounted on a suitable surface, display hooks may be “snapped” over the protruding wall of the strip so that a clip formed on the rear side of the hook enters into the trough opening. The opening of the trough and the clip of the display hook are made to match so that the clip portion of the hook may be “snapped” over the protruding wall of the rail strip. The foam strip on the inside of the protruding wall of the rail strip serves to “lock” the hook in place in the slot of the rail strip.

PRIOR ART

U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,568 Feb. 10, 2004

This patent illustrates a method of hanging an object from a vertical rod which is inserted into a specially formed extruded rail. The rail is shaped such that the vertical rods may be inserted into the rail at any position and once in place in a suspended position, the rod is not easily displaced in its position in the mounting rail.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,298 May 23, 1989

This patent describes a display hook which is mounted on a wire grid and is slidable laterally on the wire grid support. Once items are hung on the display hook the display hook is difficult to move laterally.

U.S. Pat. 6,932,226 Aug. 23, 2005

This display device attaches to a shelf rail which is provided with an insert for insertion into a slot provided in the shelf rail. Once inserted into the slot, the insert is difficult to move laterally.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a prior art display hangar;

FIG. 2 shows the mounting rail of this invention;

FIG. 3 shows the display hook of this invention;

FIG. 4 shows the hook in an operative position in the mounting rail of this invention.

FIG. 5 is an alternative construction for the rail strip.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, a display hook or hangar 10 of the prior art is shown. This is a typical “peg board” wire hook used in many commercial displays at the present time. The display hangar comprises a mounting portion comprising two peg board hooks 12 which are designed to pass through holes provided in a peg board and secure the hangar 10 in a secure fashion in the peg board. The mounting portion of the hangar 10 is somewhat U shaped at 14 where a hangar portion 16 of hook 10 is attached by welding or some other suitable method of joining to the base portions 12. The hangar 10 has a lower wire 18 on which merchandise articles may be suspended and a slightly longer upper wire 20 which overlap the article display wire 18 and carries a price label mounting device 22 at the end thereof. These hangars are produced and used in thousands of displays today.

The prior art display hangar 10 has several drawbacks. It is largely confined to a metallic construction and must be installed in holes provided at predetermined intervals in the peg board. This provides severe restriction on the location of hangar 10 on the peg board. Once the display articles are carried on the wire 18 they must be removed before the hangar 10 is relocated.

Applicant's invention is shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. In FIG. 2 an elongated mounting rail 30 is shown. Rail 30 has a generally U shaped cross section and is found to have two upstanding leg portions 32, 34 and a bottom portion 36. The rail 30 is preferably extruded and is usually composed of a high impact plastic material. Because it is extruded, it may be cropped at convenient lengths and the mounting rear wall (in this instance 34) of the rail 30 may be extruded to any desirable shape to assist mounting the rail on a backing member. If desired, the rail may be stapled, glued, screwed or nailed to a mounting surface.

On the inside surface of upstanding wall 32 and extending the length of rail 30 is formed a somewhat spongy cushion 38 which may be formed in place on rail 30 during the extrusion process. The presence of spongy member 38 is absolutely necessary to the success of this invention.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a hook 40 is shown in perspective.

Hook 40 is well known in the display business and is generally referred to as a “sidewinder” hook. It is generally composed of a high impact plastic material such as polycarbonate and has a base portion 42 which will subsequently rest against wall 32 of the rail 30 of FIG. 2. Base portion 42 of hook 40 has an integrally attached hangar bar 44 formed integrally therewith, on the exposed side of base 42, and a second clip 46 is formed on the opposing rear surface of base 42 extending in the opposite direction from hangar bar 44. Item 40 is produced in huge quantities usually by injection molding.

The hook 40 and its associated mounting rail 30 are shown in the elevational sectional view of FIG. 4. Here hook 40 is shown mounted on rail 30. In order to mount hook 40 in rail 30, the clip 46 is placed on rail leg 32 and pressed downwardly. Cushion strip 38 is compressed somewhat as clip 46 is pressed downwardly. As the surface 48 of hook clip 46 engages the top of wall 32 the hook 40 will be in its “home” position and will be neatly located on wall 34 of rail 30. Because of the resilience of cushion 38 the hook 40 will be held firmly in place and may not be easily shifted sideways or removed from the rail 30.

Hangar bar 44 of hook 40 may take any desired shape and a second bar may be provided above the hangar bar 44 in a similar fashion to wire 20 of the hangar 10 shown in FIG. 1, should it be desired to have a label display portion present.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment for the rail strip. Here strip 50 has only one upstanding wall 52 on which is formed the elastomeric foamed strip 56. The base 54 is of the form of an abutment and it abuts against a suitable mounting surface.

A mounting hole 58 is formed in the base 54 to permit this strip to be mounted on a flat surface.

The strip 50 will be mounted on a suitable surface and the upstanding wall 52 will now be maintained a suitable distance from the mounting surface to permit the installation of display hooks 40 thereon. The “offset” of base 54 may be made of any suitable width, as long as hooks 40 may be pushed over wall 52 to install them. 

1. A display rail strip for mounting display hooks for merchandise thereon, said strip being formed by an extrusion process, said strip having an upstanding wall of a predetermined thickness and height, said wall also having an elastomeric cushion strip formed thereon near the top thereof, said cushion strip extending the length of said rail strip, said strip having a base portion in the form of an abutment formed at the lower end thereof, said base portion being located beneath and slightly spaced from said elastomeric cushion strip.
 2. An L shaped display strip formed by an extrusion process, said strip being suitable for receiving and securing a display hook of a predetermined shape thereon, said L shaped strip having an upstanding wall on which is formed an elastomeric cushion strip near the top thereof, and extending the length of said strip, and a base formed integrally with said upstanding wall of said strip at the bottom of said upstanding wall, and slightly below said cushion strip, so that said base extends orthogonally a predetermined distance to said upstanding wall.
 3. A display strip as claimed in claims 1 or 2 which is formed of a non-metallic material.
 4. A display strip as claimed in claims 1 or 2 which is formed of a metallic material
 5. A rail for mounting display hangars thereon for displaying merchandise, said rail being of an elongated nature and being formed by an extrusion process, said rail having first and second upstanding wall portions being separated by an integrally formed base so that the rail has a cross-section in the general shape of a U, a first wall portion for mounting on a base wall, a second wall portion having a sponge-like cushion of a predetermined shape formed thereon near the top on the inside surface of said second wall portion thereof and extending the length of the rail.
 6. A display system for displaying merchandise on a display hangar comprising: a mounting rail, and a display hangar, said rail being of a non-metallic substance and being extruded to form an elongated member having a first and second substantially parallel upstanding walls and an adjoining base portion joining said first and second walls to form an integrally connected rail having the cross section in the shape of a U; one of the upstanding walls having an elongated sponge cushion formed on the inside surface thereof near the top of said wall. 